Superman
Clark Joseph Kent, born with the Kryptonian name Kal-El, is an incredibly powerful alien superhero of the House of El, one of the extremely few survivors of the destruction of Krypton, and an investigative reporter of the Daily Planet. In addition, Kal-El is the first Kryptonian of natural birth in centuries and the host of the Growth Codex and the leader of the Justice League. When Kal-El's father, Jor-El, realized that Krypton was doomed, he and his wife Lara sent their son to Earth, where he would be found by Jonathan and Martha Kent. Using his super powers, he defends the people of Earth from threats, such as the terraforming attempt by the Kryptonian war criminal General Zod, using the moniker Superman. A year and a half later, Superman grew increasingly wary of the vigilante Batman and was ultimately forced into a fight with the Dark Knight by a new and greater enemy, the malevolent supergenius Lex Luthor. However, the two of them ultimately settled their differences and team up with Wonder Woman, together managing to take down the unleashed monster Doomsday, though Superman was killed in the process. Earth's greatest hero was honorably buried in Heroes Park, with the world mourning his passing, and his heroic sacrifice inspired both Batman and Wonder Woman to begin establishing the valiant Justice League in order to battle any future threats to the world. A year following Superman's death, Batman would employ the Flash and Cyborg to revive him with a Mother Box. With the team now fully assembled, Superman greatly contributed to the successful offensive against Steppenwolf, forcing the latter's attempted invasion into retreat. Afterward, Superman officially joined the Justice League as their leader and returned to his life of superheroism, now unanimously accepted by the world. Biology Early Life (Man of Steel) Last Son of Krypton Kal-El was born on February 29, 1980, in the city of Kryptonopolis on the planet Krypton to Jor-El, a scientist in the Kryptonian Thinker Guild, and his wife Lara Lor-Van in the wake of a military coup d’état led by his father's lifelong friend and commander in the Warrior Guild, General Dru-Zod. Following a difficult birth, Kal-El's first cries were heard by the nearby Rondors outside the House of El Citadel. One of the first Kryptonians conceived from natural birth on the planet in centuries since the end of the age of Krypton's cosmic expansion, Kal-El was Jor-El's proof that their race could continue on past the planet's demise. In the time leading to Kal's birth, Jor-El made preparations to save his son, developing a specialized pod to deliver him to Earth, located many light years away from Krypton. Jor-El deduced his son would develop astonishing abilities during his time on the planet, becoming a godlike figure he'd hoped would lead the planet's population to greatness. Moments before bidding his son farewell, Jor-El bonded the genetic information within Krypton's Growth Codex to the cell's of Kal-El's body, after which he finally placed a command key into the starship. As his parents started the launch sequence for his ship, however, General Zod and his forces invaded the Citadel and engaged his former friend in a fierce duel, desperate to retrieve the Codex and abort the launch. Lara, however, succeeded in launching the starship, inducing an enraged Zod to mortally stab her husband through a gap in his armor, killing him. Determined to retrieve the Codex, Zod ordered Kal-El's pod shot down, but at that moment the Sapphire Guards overtook the Sword of Rao, destroying their aircraft. This gave just enough time for the Phantom Drive of Kal-El's ship to activate, allowing Kal-El to escape to his freedom. Raised in Kansas On June 18, 1980, the starship emerged near to the gas giant Saturn, and continued on its course to Earth. It landed undetected in the rural town of Smallville, Kansas, where it was found by local farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent. The childless couple decided to adopt the infant Kal-El inside the pod, and hid his true origins from everyone for most of his childhood. Guidance from Martha When he was 9 years old, Clark attended Weisinger Primary School. One day during class, Clark's teacher, Ms. Rampling, called on him to answer a question about the founders of Kansas, but got no response as Clark's enhanced senses began manifesting, terrifying the young Kryptonian. As she got closer, Ms. Rampling noticed Clark's panicked behavior and asked if he was okay, but Clark ran out of the classroom in an attempt to escape the sights and sounds around him. Clark went to hide in a janitor's closet, refusing to leave, causing his teacher to called his mom for assistance. When she told him this, Clark's heat vision was triggered by his frustration, heating up the closet's doorknob and burning Ms. Rampling's hand. At that moment, Martha Kent arrived outside the closet, where the rest of Clark's class had gathered. When Clark still refused to open the door, Martha asked her son how she was supposed to help him if he wouldn't let her. Distraught, Clark told his mom that the world was too big for him, so Martha instructed him to "make it small" by focusing on her voice, drowning out everything else. Finally able to control his senses, Clark came out from the closet and asked his mom what was wrong with him, but Martha just held him. Sometime during his elementary school years, Clark would befriend new fellow classmate Chloe Sullivan who had just moved in to Smallville with her parents. An Act of God One day, when Clark was 13, he was riding the bus when Pete Ross, a bully from school, started pestering him about a football game. Lana Lang, one of Clark's classmates, told Pete to leave Clark alone, but Pete continued to bother Clark, insulting him. However, at that time, one of the bus's tires blew out and the bus driver lost control, crashing off a bridge and into a river. As the bus was sinking, Clark decided to save his classmates by lifting and pushing the bus onto the river bank. Lana, recovering from the shock of the crash, looked around for Clark and spotted him outside, realizing what he had done. Clark went back into the water to retrieve Pete before he drowned as his classmates watched. Learning the Truth Later that day, Pete's mother went to the Kent Farm's house and confronted Jonathan and Martha about the incident, while Martha attempted to convince her that the whole situation wasn't as serious as she'd made it out to be. Outside of their home, Jonathan told Clark that he had to hide his gifts from the world if he were to be safe, even if it meant letting people die, as not everybody will be as understanding as they are, but Clark questioned why he shouldn't help people if he can. Inquisitive as to his place in the world, Jonothan decided to divulge to Clark his origins by revealing the Kryptonian ship he and his wife found him in from under the floor of the barn, proving Clark is an alien. Clark was in tears and wants to at least pretend that he's their son. Jonathan embraced Clark and said he will always be his son, but Clark owed it to himself to discover who he really is and the reason he was sent to Earth. Death of Jonathan Kent At the age of 17, Clark was driving with his parents on a highway when a tornado swept through the area. People began abandoning their vehicles with Jonathan telling Clark to get his mother to safety. Clark realized he could help people with his abilities but his father told him not to use them, safeguarding his secret. As Jonathan was helping other people, Clark carried a little girl to safety. Jonathan went back for the dog who was still in the car, but upon rescuing it, he injured his leg. Just as Clark was about to step in and save his adoptive father, Jonathan held up his hand and signaled for him to stay put before getting subsequently swept away in the tornado and dying, lending much guilt to Clark. Becoming Superman Searching for Purpose Not long afterward, Clark followed Jonathan's bidding as well as following his own growing desire to find himself, leaving Kansas in pursuit to find the reason he was sent to Earth. He traveled across North America for years, surviving on the borders of civilization, helping others in need and swiftly disappearing shortly afterward. Rescue at the Bright Aurora In 2013, Clark's journey continued as he landed a job on the Debbie Sue fishing boat as a greenhorn. One day while on the job, Clark heard reports over the captain's radio of the Bright Aurora oil rig at critical meltdown in need of evacuation and without hesitating, he jumped overboard and swam at super speed to try and help the remaining crew. After securing the crew members aboard the rig, Clark escorted them to one of the helipads where a Coast Guard rescue helicopter was passing by to transport the crew to safety. As the helicopter landed and the rig's crew boarded, the drilling derrick collapsed, weakened from the conflagration. Moving swiftly, Clark seized the derrick and held it up, giving the helicopter enough time to get the crew to safety while he stayed behind, but the beams he was standing on was bending, making it difficult. As the helicopter got clear, an explosion sent Clark flying into the water, where he drifted below the surface the oil rig collapsed, watching in peace as whales passed by. Shortly thereafter, Clark swam to shore and stole some clothes hanging nearby, deciding to move on from the town. Incident at Cassidy's Pub Later, Clark got a job as a busboy at a truck stop bar in Canada. One day, Clark overheard a pair of soldiers talking about a discovery made on Ellesmere Island, where even the American military came to observe the "anomalous object" buried under the ice. However, at the same time one of the bar's patrons, a drunk trucker named Ludlow, began harassing his coworker, a waitress named Chrissy. Clark intervened, suggesting that Ludlow leave Chrissy alone, but Ludlow instead got confrontational. Clark then asked him to leave, but Ludlow instead retorted that he'd leave when he was "good and ready", proceeding to throw an entire pitcher of beer into Clark's face. Clark shook his head and glared at the trucker. Ludlow attempted to get physical and shoved Clark but the latter didn't budge. As Clark prepared to retaliate, Chrissy instead told him that it wasn't worth the trouble. Agreeing, Clark began to leave when Ludlow commented that he'd forgotten his 'tip', throwing a beer can at his back. After pausing for a moment, Clark then left Cassidy's Pub. While Ludlow was still drinking in the pub, Clark destroyed his rig, impaling it with numerous logs from its haul. Discovering the Scout Ship Following the lead from the two soldiers, Clark got a job working for the Arctic Cargo helicopter company near to the base camp for the discovery site, going by the name "Joe." While on the job, Clark briefly met Lois Lane, a Daily Planet reporter who was there to write a piece on the mysterious object. Clark and Jed Eubanks escorted Lois to the site, with Clark carrying her heavy bags. Later that night, Clark snuck away from the military to investigate the ice himself, unaware he'd been discovered by Lois. After finding a spot to begin tunneling, Clark used his heat vision to make a path through the ice to the object, revealing it to be an ancient Kryptonian vessel. After boarding the ship, Clark was marveling at the sight when a console rose from the deck with a port for what he realized was the key he'd been given to him by Jonathan Kent long ago. Inserting the key, Clark became aware of the Kryptonian service android behind him, which began to attack him with a whip-like appendage. Struggling against the android, Clark managed to successfully insert the House of El command key into the console, deactivating the ship's security measures as the android ceased its attack. As the android drifted off, Clark noticed a man in one of the hallways and followed him around the ship. During his pursuit, Clark came across the bodies of the ship's former crew, long dead, though one of them was missing from their habitation pods. At the same time, Lois Lane entered the ship and was also attacked by the android, badly injuring her and causing her to shout in pain. Hearing the commotion, Clark arrived and crushed the android with his bare hands, saving Lois' life. As he went to check her wounds, Lois was hysterical, but Clark merely waited for her to let him help. Revealing to her his special powers, Clark used his heat vision to cauterize her internal wound, saving her life. An interactive projection of Jor-El appeared and welcomed Clark, referring him by his birth name, Kal-El. Jor-El enlightens him of his heritage, why he was sent to Earth and the obligation to test the limits of his powers. The Scout ship then activated after thousands of years of dormancy and landed on a mountaintop. Jor-El then displayed to Clark the coat of arms of the House of El, which consists of a stylized letter 'S' enclosed within a diamond-shaped outline, and showed him the history of Krypton and the dangers of other Kryptonians, before giving Clark a Kryptonian skinsuit, which the latter put on. Due to Jor-El's explanation, Clark was now finally able to accept his alien heritage as Kal-El, and embrace his powers, finally able to overcome his weakness of mental power suppression, and so he went outside and began to test the limits of his powers, gradually learning how to fly. Clark returned to Smallville and visited Martha after several years of being abroad. He described to her the explorations he went on and that he found the answers to the questions he had, before Lois Lane showed up at the farm with questions about Clark. Clark found Lois at the Smallville Cemetery over Jonathan's grave, where he told her that he died in order to protect Clark from the world. His sacrifice convinced her to not publish her story revealing him to the world. General Zod's Arrival and surrender to humanity Meanwhile, General Zod, the maniacal Kryptonian military leader, sent a message to the people of Earth to hand over his missing citizen or suffer his wrath. Recognizing that he couldn't put people in danger after a discussion with a Smallville priest at the Lutheran Church, Clark voluntarily handed himself into military custody wearing his new suit. Lois arrived shortly after wanting questions from Clark and was about to give him a name, but was interrupted by Dr. Hamilton and General Swanwick, who made their intentions regarding delivering Kal-El to General Zod clear. Shortly thereafter Sub-Commander Faora arrived in a dropship for Kal-El, but she also unexpectedly requested for Lois to join them as well, much to the dismay of both Kal-El and Colonel Hardy. Once aboard the Black Zero starship, Kal-El came face to face with General Zod, who had him tied down, as the atmosphere aboard was replicating Krypton's, leaving Kal-El practically helpless, due to it rendering him unable to access his stores of solar energy. Zod's leading scientist Jax-Ur then proceeded to take some of Kal-El's blood, before Zod exposed him to mental probing. General Zod attempted to sway Kal-El to his side, requesting the location of the Kryptonian Growth Codex that Jor-El had sent with the latter to Earth. Kal-El, however, promptly refused to sacrifice his adopted planet, even if that meant restoring his native one. Battle of Smallville Lois, however, had brought Jor-El's key aboard the ship and his AI form helped her escape using an escape pod before changing the atmosphere for Kal-El to re-claim some strength to break free. Joe-El instructed Kal-El to beat a hole in the ship for yellow sun rays to get through, for Kal to recuperate his full strength, while Jor-El imparted his final words to his son, encouraging him to save mankind. Kal-El then raced after Lois in the falling escape pod, reaching her just before the pod exploded on impact. Kal's super hearing alerted him to General Zod, already at the Kent Farm and threatening Martha. He flew over and attacked Zod. They subsequently collided into a gas station, which exploded. Zod's breather mask was damaged and all his senses were subsequently overwhelmed, causing him to collapse from the mental strain of trying to process the sudden information from his senses. Faora and Nam-Ek followed and confronted Kal-El, with the pair outnumbering him, beating him to the ground and cautioning him that he won’t prevail. He was thrown through numerous buildings in Smallville by Faora, while Nam-Ek went to confront the incoming military forces. Kal-El soon went after Nam-Ek, and eventually gained the upper hand in their fight. Before Faora could kill Colonel Hardy, Kal-El tackled her and also breached her mask, forcing Nam-Ek to carry her away and escape. General Zod's forces retreated back to space to begin their plans for terraforming Earth, while Kal-El flew home to check on his mother. Hardy, after witnessing Superman's efforts to save them, then proclaimed that Superman was not mankind's enemy, much to the former's thanks. Battle of Metropolis Lois then told Kal-El that Jor-El’s AI gave her directions to use his starship against Zod’s, with Kal-El then promptly taking his infant starship over to the Northcom base, handing it over to Colonel Hardy, before flying to the Indian Ocean to destroy the World Engine that General Zodhad unleashed. At the US Military Northcom base, General Swanwick gives a green light to the operation against Zod, with a soldier under his command telling him that the alien Kal-El (who has now been dubbed by others in the military as "Superman" and Colonel Hardy are on the way. The World Engine’s defenses attack Superman with many huge tentacles of molten-hot Liquid Geo and even though he eventually manages to break through them, he gets caught and thrown into the gravity beam, which in turn weakens him due to the constant atmospheric changes. After regaining his composure and standing up to the millions of tons of force being put down on him, he manages to destroy the World Engine by flying up through the colossal gravity beam. Taking a few seconds to lie in direct sunlight to recover from the battle, Superman then flies to Metropolis on the other side of the planet, to stop General Zod who had unleashed his Black Zero starship upon the city at the same time. While Superman flies back, Colonel Hardy and Lois are under attack from General Zod, the latter attempting to shoot their plane out of the sky with the Scout Ship 0344. Superman, however, returns right in time to collide with the ship (incapacitating it's targeting systems) and destroy its Genesis Chamber, much to Zod's dismay. The ship is thus swiftly brought down onto the ground in Metropolis, colliding with many skyscrapers in the process. Meanwhile, thanks to the efforts of Colonel Hardy and Dr. Hamilton, the Phantom Drive of Superman's infant starship is activated, and the plane successfully collides with the Black Zero, creating a temporary Phantom Zone energy singularity that sucks in the Black Zero and the plane but also sacrificing Hardy in the process. At this time, Superman emerges from the crashed ship, and flies up, just in time to catch Lois and Dr. Hamilton, who had fallen from the plane shortly before the collision. Due to him also having been once exposed to Phantom Zone energy, Superman struggles to escape the tremendous gravitational pull of the singularity, which he ultimately succeeds in doing. He then proceeds to put Lois and Dr. Hamilton beside Perry White and Jenny Jurwich and in a moment of adrenaline, Lois kissed Superman, who responded in turn, before confronting General Zod, who was revealed to still be on Earth, having been too far from the singularity. Final Duel with General Zod Superman went to face Zod, who speculated how he could have built a new Krypton out of Earth if Superman hadn't betrayed them. Vowing to avenge his people to Superman, Zod promised that he would take away all whom Superman loved, and then attacked him. Superman, seeing no other way to reason with Zod, Superman vowed that he would stop him no matter what it took. He fought General Zod in the intense and incredibly destructive Battle of Metropolis, destroying skyscrapers, buildings, vehicles and property, including the Wayne Financial Building brought down by Zod's heat vision, much to the dismay of Bruce Wayne, who witnessed it occur from the streets. The battle intensified once Zod managed to master his heat vision and Superman struggled to counter the Kryptonian's superior experience and skill in honing his abilities. Zod efficiently gained the upper hand in the fight, before ripping off his armor and finally grasping his flying ability, now on even footing with Superman. The two then clashed climatically in mid-air, with Zod hurling Superman through numerous skyscrapers, and tackling him into outer space, destroying a Wayne Enterprises satellite in the process. The two mighty aliens then crashed in Metropolis Central Station, where General Zod was feeling that he was beginning to lose the fight. He then opened his heat vision on an innocent family. Superman grappled Zod, begging him not do this and trying to divert the latter's heat vision away, before resorting to snapping Zod's neck which killed him, in order to save the family, causing him to scream in brief trauma. However, he was then consoled by Lois, who had just gotten to the station by that time. New Career at the Daily Planet Superman flew back home to see his mother in Smallville. To his relief, she was fine, with the only damage she commented on was to the house. Later, Clark began a new job in Metropolis as a junior reporter at the Daily Planet. Upon arriving, he was introduced by Perry White to his new coworkers, including Lois Lane. Lois smiled at his new glasses and shook his hand, welcoming him to "the Planet" (both the Daily Planet as well as Earth) to which Clark laughed at. A Beacon of Hope (Post Man of Steel) Earth's New Hero In his first days of openly being a superhero, Superman took to dealing with natural disasters (notably the wildfires in the home forests of the state of Senator Sterns, that had almost claimed hundreds of lives), crime and humanitarian missions, but he notably avoided getting involved in controversial political disputes, such as wars between the nations of Earth. As such, a massive silvery stone statue of Superman is built in Metropolis (on the epicenter of what was left after General Zod's terraformation attack on the city, in the new commemorative Heroes Park), and online message boards are created, with numerous people from all over the world using them as a means to ask Superman for help, regarding both trivial (helping to pay their rent) and severe (curing their cancer) matters. At one point, Superman also prevents a missile strike on the United States, rescues victims from a building explosion, and prevents a devastating earthquake by shifting an entire tectonic plate. As Clark Kent, he is quickly promoted from just a junior reporter, quickly rising through the ranks at the Daily Planet after promptly displaying exceptional insights and investigative skills, which leads to Perry White assigning him bigger and bigger stories for the Planet. After only a year working as a reporter, Clark had already twice received the Elliot Prize for Investigative Journalism, being the first of any of the reporters on the Daily Planet staff to earn such prestige so quickly. Clark later finds a leftover old crystal from where his starship used to be in the Kent barn in Smallville. The crystal compels Clark (in Jor-El's voice) to take it to the Arctic, which he does. The crystal is revealed to be an ancient piece of Kryptonian Technology, forming a Fortress of Solitude, being completely made from crystal unlike other Kryptonian structures. Meeting Christopher Kent Sometime in 2014, Superman eventually encounters and meets Chris Kent, in which the former witnesses Chris using his powers to stop a robbery. Chris a 16 year old Kryptonian who was raised in Steadworth, California. Superman is able to find that Chris is indeed another Kryptonian on natural birth and is glad to find that he is isn't the last of his kind. Superman asks how it's possible for a Kryptonian to be as young as Chris since Krypton was destroyed in 1980 but Chris doesn't know either. As a matter of fact, Chris is the one that has all the questions and asks about his powers and where he's from. Superman takes Chris at the New Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic and shows him everything about Krypton and its history. Over time, Chris would visit Superman when he can and formed some sort of a kinship, with the latter taking him under his wing and teaching him how to control his powers. Soon, Superman trusted Chris enough and revealed his life as Clark Kent and even took Chris to the Kent Farm meet his adoptive mother, Martha. Both of them find it amazing and coincidental that they share the same last name. Sometime in early 2015, Superman teaches Chris to learn how to focus and to fly, doing so in the exact same place in the Arctic. The Superman Committee At the same time, a number of survivalist militias also emerged, who believed Superman to be the advance scout for a future, larger alien invasion of Earth. Lex Luthor, a prolific philanthropist in his own right, later claimed that he was as much a hero to Metropolis as Superman, going on to state that the Kryptonian was a figure too mysterious and controversial for him to be a good comparison. In light of The Man of Steel's debut, Lex criticized that recognizing the importance of the ordinary citizens of Metropolis (such as rescue workers, first responders, and countless ordinary others who helped save others in wake of the Battle of Metropolis) had become more important than ever. Thus, Senator June Finch believed that before a decision regarding Superman could be made, the discovery of his existence needed to be handled objectively, and therefore advocated for the creation of a committee to study and learn more about the Superman. Bangladesh Floods One day, Lois and Clark swiftly exit the Daily Planet newsroom, as Lois heads off to expose the corrupt Hanford Technologies CEO Mark Hanford (who had been illegally profiting from the sale of Kryptonian weapons on the black market), while Clark heads off to help with floods in Bangladesh as Superman, warning Lois to be safe in his absence. Saving a train Some time later, Superman saves a runaway train full of passengers. As he uncouples the cars, he runs out of track and has to settle the front cars on the desert by lifting them up. Shortly thereafter, video footage of the event is recorded, and studied by Professor Garcia, after which he discusses it with a woman named Teri and another man. Garcia goes out of his way to argue that Superman tries to save lives, with the superhero having done so even in the infamous Battle of Metropolis. Garcia also defends Superman's decision to avoid getting involved in wars, as intervening in political disputes (such as unilaterally disarming a country's military) could actually make the situation worse. Teri appears to agree with the professor, but as it turns out, she is only speaking the words spoken to her through an earpiece by Lex Luthor. S.T.A.R. Labs Field Trip Some time later, Clark took a school class from Metropolis on a school trip to S.T.A.R. Labs at the Metropolis branch. At the facility, the S.T.A.R. Labs team display their Tachyon Transfer technology, that can send objects vast distances across space. They proceed to open the portal, but grotesque alien creatures, called the Ko'erst came through. They were controlling Dr. Forsythe to keep it open, so that they could invade Earth. Clark managed to swiftly leave in the confusion, and return as Superman, after which he managed to easily overpower and tie up the Ko'erst, before they were sent back through to their home world. Trip to Wayne Enterprises Some time later, Superman, having learned of criminals attempting to steal Kryptonian technology from the Wayne Enterprises Research & Development Facility, promptly arrives and confronts them. While they initially keep him at bay with Kryptonian plasma carbine rifles (and due to Superman's unwillingness to hurt them), Bruce Wayne gets a hold of a Kryptonian Signal Jammer, and utilizes it at a high frequency to incapacitate them all, though Superman recovers much quicker than the criminals, and thus, he manages to hand them over to the Metropolis Police Department, though not before confiscating the stolen Kryptonian tech and taking them back to his Fortress of Solitude. Massacre in Nairomi (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) After Lois is kidnapped by the Nairomian warlord Amajagh (who also had his bodyguard Anatoli Knyazev murder CIA agent known as Henry J. Olsen). Lois is taken to an underground bunker and threatened with death. Superman soon hears of this and flies to her rescue, flying right through the incoming cruise missiles and drone of the CIA on the way. He smashes right through the roof of the building that Amajagh has Lois trapped in, arriving just in time. When the warlord holds a gun to Lois, she approvingly nods to Superman, so he responds by tackling Amajagh away from Lois in the blink of an eye, right through two walls. However, moments before Superman's arrival, Anatoli Knyazev and his men murder Amajagh's men, and Knyazev then proceeds to mutilate the corpses with his flamethrower, making it appear as if they had been murdered by Superman's heat vision. This incident generates quite a bit of controversy throughout the world, with Senator Finch and her committee (responsible for studying Superman), after interviewing Nairomian Kahina Ziri (who is actually an actress hired and blackmailed into testifying by Lex Luthor), to hold Superman responsible for what occurred in the North African desert. However, Kahina pretends to take little solace from this, claiming that the U.S. Government would never be able to force Superman to answer to them, since he seemingly answers to no one, not even to God. Conversation with Lois Returning home to his and Lois' apartment, Clark sees Lois in the bathtub and says he wanted to surprise her by cooking up something. When the subject shifts to the controversy surrounding his actions in Nairomi, Clark makes it clear that he is unconcerned, as Lois could have been killed; also adding that he didn't actually murder anyone. When Lois questioned if it was possible for him to love her and be a hero, Clark responded by giving her one of the roses he'd brought her, followed by joining her in the bathtub fully clothed. "End of Love Affair with Man in the Sky?" On the morning news, while cooking breakfast, Clark hears Kahina Ziri being interviewed regarding Superman, and she states that had Superman been in her presence she would ask him how he decides: "which lives count, and which ones do not?" Clark is visibly uncomfortable at the accusation. Later that same day, Clark is assigned by Perry to travel to Gotham City and cover the "Metropolis vs Gotham" football game (being given the headline "Underdog Dreams Dashed - 10 Yards Between Gotham and Glory") when the news reports on Wallace Keefe vandalizing the Superman Statue by spray-painting the words "False God" in red on the chest before he is arrested. Clark is visibly saddened about this hate crime. Perry, while also quite upset, gives Jenny the headline "End of Love Affair With Man In the Sky?" Before Clark departs, Perry advises the former to watch himself in Gotham, due to the city's high crime rate. Visiting Gotham Clark then promptly follows through on his assignment, boarding the ferry from Metropolis to Gotham City. He first visits Kahina Ziri's apartment complex, but is told by her neighbors (who initially mistake the reporter for a police officer) that she left some time ago. One of the neighbors, an old African-American man, claims that Kahina made the right choice by leaving Gotham, and recommends that Clark leave soon as well before the night, unless Clark wishes to run into the infamous Batman, who, according to the old man, is imbued with "a new kind of mean." Kahina's other neighbor, however, adamantly disagrees, stating that Batman should be feared only by those to have a reason to be fearful. Dismayed at this news of brutal terror-based vigilantism, Clark heads back. Conflict with Perry At a staff meeting shortly after his return from Gotham, Clark begins his pursuit of Batman by bringing up his repeated targets in the poor areas of Gotham and alliance with the local GCPD, which earns him mockery from Perry, who also asks if whether or not he began work on the football story he assigned him to. Clark insists that this story is worth printing as it shows that the common civilian matters and that the press has zero tolerance for Batman and other vigilantes, but Perry retorts by saying “the American conscience died with Robert, Martin, and John.” At that point, Lois enters the meeting, displaying a bullet found in Nairomi, letting Perry know that she intended to fly to Washington DC to further investigate, and briefly making eye contact with Clark. Somewhat upset, Clark confronts Lois shortly thereafter, inquiring as to why she had kept the bullet a secret from him until now, also remarking that her "digging up snakes" is bound to be dangerous. She responds stating that this is exactly why she didn't tell Clark. As Lois walks away, Clark has a worried expression on his face, but he is promptly approached by Perry, who states that some influential billionaire (actually Lex Luthor) had insisted that Clark be the reporter to attend and cover his Metropolis library fundraiser event. Luthor Fundraiser While observing other arriving guests at Lex Luthor's fundraiser, Clark has his attention swiftly attracted by Gotham City billionaire Bruce Wayne, just as the latter exits his car. While listening to Luthor's greeting speech, Clark's super-hearing quickly picks up on the voice of Alfred Pennyworth, coming from Bruce Wayne's earpiece. Clark notices Bruce sneaking away from the crowd, as per Alfred's instructions. Hence, a suspicious Clark is quick to use his reporter status to interview Bruce Wayne, as soon as the latter returns, asking Bruce about his position regarding Batman. Bruce initially attempts to brush the reporter off, condescendingly referring to the younger man as "son", and sarcastically asking if the Daily Planet belongs to him. Clark persists, claiming to have personally seen how Batman considers himself to be above the law and causing civilians to live in fear, despite having never seen Batman in action. Bruce is quick to point out the hypocrisy in Clark's words, noting that every time Superman carried out a trivial deed, journalists like Clark are quick to shower him with praise, and instead argues the godlike alien should instead be feared, as there would be seemingly no way of stopping him, if Superman were to suddenly decide to go rogue. Clark is angered by this unexpected and personal criticism, but calmly points out that most of the world doesn't share Bruce's opinion on the alien superhero, but Bruce responds by claiming that perhaps his view is based on the bad history that Gotham has with "freaks dressed like clowns." At that precise moment, however, they are abruptly interrupted by Lex Luthor, who enthusiastically introduces himself and invites Bruce to visit the LexCorp Industries research and development facilities. However, Mercy Graves comes up and lets Lex know that a governor wants to speak to him. As Bruce walks off, a suspicious Clark attempts to follow him, having heard Alfred's voice in the earpiece again, but he suddenly sees a TV news report of a girl stuck in a burning factory in Mexico, and instead chooses to save her over pursuing Bruce. The Superman Question After saving the Mexican girl, Superman descends into the crowd of people in Díos de los Muertos apparel, and the civilians all surround and stretch out their hands towards him, eager to touch the godlike alien. As the days go by, Superman continues his heroic career, notably saving a family from a flooded house, rescuing Russian astronauts from a rocket that collapsed during launch, and towing a half-sunken steamship through Arctic ice. Meanwhile, however, the world continues responding to Superman and what his existence means to the world (much like how Jonathan Kent had once predicted), with the media referring to it as "The Superman Question." The question sparks quite a bit of controversy worldwide, with many being quick to express their opinions. Astrophysicist and cosmologist Neil deGrasse Tyson, while seemingly not opposed to the alien superhero, remarks that Superman's very existence challenges humanity's sense of priority in the Universe. Openly negative views on "The Superman Question" are held by Internet blogger Glen Woodburn and author Andrew Sullivan. Woodburn's concern is based on humanity having a track record of following people with great power, down paths that led to huge human monstrosities. Sullivan questions whether there are any moral constraints on Superman, and that due to there being International Law, every one of Superman's acts is a political one. Finally, Senator June Finch is interviewed on the matter, with her interviewer wondering aloud if it is really surprising that Superman, as the most powerful man in the world, is viewed as a figure of controversy. He proceeds to ask her if she would be personally comfortable with saying to a grieving parent, that Superman could have saved their child, but couldn't because the government had not wanted him to act. Finch admits that while Superman's engagement in state-level interventions should be cause for concern, she proceeds to explain that the problem is not Superman's actions, but that he should not be carrying them out unilaterally. This makes her interviewer conclude by saying that the overall question is in fact, “must there be a Superman?” to which she simply replies that “there is.” Clark himself sees this interview on television, and is visibly dismayed, feeling more unsure of his place than before. Shortly thereafter, Clark makes a call to his mother, Martha. Not having it in him to tell her about his problems right away, he instead asks her why Jonathan had never left Kansas. A bit confused, Martha says that this was so because her late husband had felt that he was "already there" and he thus had no need to travel. Clark sighs, saying that he wished things were simple. Martha, however, gently disagrees, claiming that "nothing was ever simple." Bat Brand of Justice Shortly thereafter, Clark is confronted by Perry, who is furious with him for having not covered the Metropolis football match or Lex Luthor's fundraiser for the Metropolis Library. Clark argues by saying that the press has the responsibility of showing integrity and exposing Batman for the criminal that he is, bringing up the fact that the Daily Planet had an upstanding reputation for displaying such character at its foundation. Perry responds by mocking Clark’s values, saying that “it’s not 1938” and life is no longer simple enough for someone like Clark to be admired for upstanding character alone; therefore, he is ordered to cease his pursuit of Batman, as no one will find such a thing interesting. Clark is agitated, but undeterred. Investigating Cesar Santos While still pondering over this theme while working at his cubicle, Clark receives some anonymous mail. Inside are pictures of Cesar Santos' corpse (as he had been murdered by his fellow inmates), with the words "judge," "jury," "executioner" and "justice?" written at the bottom of them. At this moment, a frustrated Clark finally decides on a different, more personal approach. Unbeknownst to him, Santos' murder and the murders of the other branded convicts were all a setup orchestrated by Lex Luthor (through Anatoli Knyazev), in order to incriminate Batman in Superman's eyes. Clark travels to Gotham City once more, intent on learning more regarding Santos' murder. When unable to obtain information from the penitentiary, Clark comes across Santos' girlfriend Adriana (with her baby child), and promptly interviews her. Adriana angrily complains about Batman's brutal methods, claiming that one man deciding who gets to live cannot be justice. As a reporter, Clark implores her to tell him more, so that he might change things. Adriana, however declines, saying that words from Clark's pen cannot stop Batman, as the only method to actually do so is "a fist," implying that only severe punishment is an effective deterrent against Batman. An infuriated Clark thus decides to take a more direct approach to dealing with Batman, this time as Superman. Man vs God: Meeting the Batman That evening, while Batman was intercepting Lex Luthor's men transporting Kryptonite, Superman interrupted the chase, damaging the Batmobile after Batman tried running him down, and again when Superman tore the doors off. With Cesar Santos' death (and subsequent orphaning of the latter's son) being the last straw, Superman threatens the Dark Knight, warning him to give up his crusade, to ignore the Bat-Signal the next time it lights up, and that he should consider Superman's warning as mercy. As he turned to leave, Batman countered with a threat of his own, asking the godlike alien "tell me, do you bleed?" Not impressed with Batman's threat, Superman flew off, while Batman promptly drove back to the Batcave in the damaged Batmobile. Insurgency Knightmare (Dream Sequence) In an alternate future (shown to Batman by that future's Flash), Lois Lane, Martha Kent and Christopher Kent would be killed, with Batman having been unable to prevent any of it. Consumed with utter grief, Superman was left susceptible to Darkseid's Anti-Life equation and became a malevolent tyrant ruling the planet. He presumably founded the Regime Soldiers to aid him in his totalitarian Regime of Earth, mercilessly killing anybody who opposes him. Batman promptly founded the Insurgency in order to combat this new threat, thus beginning a long war. Batman, in desert clothing, exits a bunker, and watches his Insurgency allies approach. He meets with them and asks for the Kryptonite rock, the only remaining hope of defeating Superman. However, they open the box to reveal only green light bulbs. They apologize to him and hold Batman at gunpoint. He follows through with their commands as the undercover Regime Soldiers reveal themselves to Batman and the Insurgents. The Regime soldiers execute the Insurgents, as Batman watches helplessly. Angered, he begins a killing spree and guns down multiple soldiers, while helping some of his surviving Insurgents escape the area. Although he manages to take down most of the Regime Soldiers, while Parademons invade the area and abduct many humans there, Batman is eventually overwhelmed by the remaining soldiers there who could barely restrain him. He snaps one of their necks, but then is brutally (but barely) beaten by the other soldiers. Seeing the damage that Batman was inflicting on the soldiers and their inability to restrain him, a Parademon knocks Batman unconscious. Batman recuperates chained up in the bunker with his few remaining Insurgent allies, eyeing them helplessly. Superman himself then lands in the bunker, and his Regime Soldiers reverently kneel before their leader. He approaches Batman, swiftly murdering the other Insurgency members with his heat vision. Superman then unmasks the horrified and visibly scared vigilante. He expresses his anger at Bruce for letting "her" and "them" die, as they were "his world." Superman gives Batman one final sinister sneer, and ruthlessly kills him by tearing Batman's heart from his chest, thereby ending the war and resistance. Hearing in Washington While the rest of the world is still busy debating on "The Superman Question," Clark returns home to Smallville to visit his mother Martha. There, she advises him that either way, he shouldn't be concerned with what others think of him. She then assures him that he is neither a threat, nor a killer, and that ultimately, he doesn't owe planet Earth a thing. Despite much media speculation to the contrary, Superman arrives to speak and answer at Senator Finch's committee, at the US Capitol in Washington D.C. While there are notably quite a few anti-Superman protesters gathered there (with banners labelled "SuperDeath", "Thanks for the "Help"!", "Earth Belongs to Humans", "God Hates Aliens" and "Aliens Doom Nations", a House of El glyph with a Nazi swastika, as well as an alien-shaped head on a pole). Lois Lane stands there as well, for additional support. Chris Kent and his parents are seen watching the whole thing on TV at his home. The trial is also attended by Lex Luthor's personal assistant, Mercy Graves. Right before the trial, Kahina Ziri approaches Senator Finch, revealing herself to be an actress that Lex had hired to lie, so Finch resolves to mention this in the trial as well, intending to clear her name. When Superman enters, Finch starts out by pointing out to him a witness/victim of Superman's actions, Wallace Keefe, who lost his legs during the Black Zero Event. After suddenly noticing a distasteful note left for her by Lex Luthor (a jar of urine, labelled "Granny's Peach Tea"), a startled Finch stops in mid-speech before a bomb (hidden inside Keefe's lead-lined wheelchair by Lex) explodes, causing a massive explosion, instantly killing her, Graves, Keefe, and everyone else present except for the invulnerable, but mortified Superman. Self-Exile That evening, Superman flew back to Lois' hotel room and spoke to her on the balcony. While Lois assured him that he was not to blame and was about to tell him of Lex Luthor's involvement (having learned it from S.T.A.R. Labs weapons and ballistics specialist Jenet Klyburn), Superman insisted that he hadn't been able to prevent the bombing because he hadn't been looking for a potential bomb in the first place. Now, mortified at how his actions had so far consistently lead to horrible consequences, Clark claims that the whole idea of "Superman" had never even been real in the first place, with it only ever being "the dream of a farmer from Kansas. Lois insisted that this "dream" is all that most people have to give them hope, and she pointed to his House of El glyph, stating that it still means something. However, Clark sadly replies that while it did on Krypton, that world no longer exists, and he then promptly flies off, into self-imposed exile. Meanwhile, in the news, many are suspecting that Superman might have been involved in letting the Capitol bombing happen, so a mob of protesters assembles outside the building's wreckage, burning a large ragdoll of Superman while chanting in outrage. Superman flies to the distant faraway mountains, dons civilian clothing, grows a "five o'clock shadow" and hikes up the snow-covered slope. He passes some people who don't recognise him, with an old man remarking (in Mexican Spanish) that since Clark knows that the mountain he's climbing isn't passable, the logical conclusion is that Clark has come to die. Much to Clark's surprise, he suddenly experiences a vision of his adopted father, Jonathan Kent. The vision spoke to Clark, telling him of how he himself had once believed himself to be a hero after saving his farm from a flood during the age of 12, yet inadvertently thereby flooding the Langs' farm. He encouraged Clark, and let his son know that he both loves and misses him. Luthor's Ultimatum Superman returns to Metropolis and rescues Lois just in the nick of time after Lex Luthor throws her off of the roof, and flies back up to deal with him. Superman angrily vows to bring the malevolent supergenius in "without breaking him." However, Luthor confidently retorts by revealing that he knows Superman's secret identity, and proceeds to tell Clark about his views on both him and God, stating that "God is tribal." Lex then reveals that his father, Lionel Luthor, while seemingly affable in public, was egregiously cruel and evil behind closed doors, abusing his defenseless son with both fists and "abominations." Due to there having been no "man in the sky" to protect Lex from this unjust suffering, he subsequently became a misotheist, burdened by the theological problem of evil (that if God is truly all-powerful, then He cannot be all-good, and vice versa), and concluding that power cannot be innocent. When he shows Superman the bandaged-cut on his right hand and says, "the blood on your (Superman) hands." Superman realizes that he and Batman were deviously framed by Lex the whole time. Hence, Superman, due to his own godlike power, has the same problem of evil applicable to him in Lex's eyes, and Lex is now determined to prove this to the world by having him engage Batman in a mortal duel. When Superman attempts to refuse, Lex reveals that the former's mother, Martha Kent, is held in captivity in a top-secret location by Knyazev (producing several photos of a horrified tied up Martha as proof). An incredibly furious Superman seems ready to destroy Lex with his heat vision, but the latter says that if Superman attempts to kill him or flies away, Martha will be burned alive, and the only way for Superman to save her, is to fly to Gotham City, fight and kill Batman in a vicious duel to the death, and subsequently bring the vigilante's head to Lex. An enraged Superman is left with no choice but to comply with Lex's orders, and flies off, much to the delight of Lex. Superman is shaken up by the power Lex's ultimatum hold over him, since despite his disapproval of Batman's morally gray methods, Superman now recognizes him as a good (albeit misled and unnecessarily brutal) man, so this conflicts with his morality even more than the murder of General Zod. Hence, Superman flies to Lois and briefly explains the situation to her, but then adding that he will instead try to convince Batman to help. He then sadly concludes by saying that "no one stays good in this world," before flying off. Duel with Batman Superman arrives in Gotham, where a heavily armoured Batman is waiting for him. Superman tries to reason with Batman, beginning with an apology for wrongly accusing him of being a criminal and trying to explain what Luthor has done, but accidentally triggers a pair of sonic emitters, stopping him in his tracks. Superman rips a manhole cover in half and flings the scraps of metal into the emitters, destroying them. Now visibly frustrated, Superman once again attempts to reason with Batman, who is still enraged and refuses to listen. This results in Superman giving him a light shove, sending him tumbling across the ground for over 60 feet. Batman activates another trap: a pair of .50-caliber machine gun turrets. Superman braces himself for a moment as the bullets harmlessly bounced off of him, before ignoring the shots and flying above, proceeding to incinerate the turrets with his heat vision. As Batman regains his footing, a greatly frustrated Superman grabs him and hurls him down an empty street but The Dark Knight soon rises to his feet again. Frustrated at his adversary's resilience, Superman grabs hold of Batman and pushes him through the side of a building. Emerging through the roof, Superman violently hurls Batman right through the Bat-Signal. He again tries to reason with Batman, telling him that if he wanted to kill him, he could easily and would have done so already. Batman gets up and activates a smoke grenade before tossing it towards his opponent. Superman uses his super speed to dash through the lead-smoke cloud, dispelling it to find Batman gone. Now behind him, Batman fires a round from his riot gun, only for his opponent to effortlessly catch it. However, it releases a cloud of Kryptonite gas, severely weakening Superman down to normal depowered Kryptonian levels. Batman taunts him as he writhes in pain. Superman attempts to attack Batman, who easily blocks and counters his attacks thanks to his superior fighting skills. Batman kicks him against a skylight and stomps down on him, crashing through it and onto the top floor of the building. Superman tries to regain his footing, but Batman gives him no such respite. He beats his foe senseless, flooring him with a powerful left cross. However, Superman senses the return of his powers and catches one of Batman's kicks, throwing Batman through a wall. The two combatants charge at one another. Batman swings Superman back against the wall and pummels him repeatedly, however Superman's invulnerability begins to return, rendering Batman's assault ineffective. Batman eyes his steel glove and backs away nervously, knowing the tables have turned yet again. Superman shoves him down through the floor into an abandoned bathroom. Batman attempts to get up, but even in his weakened state, Superman easily overpowers him. Getting a hold on Batman's armored suit, he picks him up and flings him through several rows of urinal partitions. Batman, in extreme pain, lifts his head and loads another round in his gun. An enraged Superman races to beat him to it and leaps into the air, fist drawn back. He takes the next Kryptonite round full in the face, but not before landing a brutal punch to the side of Batman's head, shattering his helmet and sending him flying through the air. Batman recovers from the shock and gets to his feet, while Superman rolls over helplessly, engulfed by the toxic mist for a second time. Batman wrenches a sink basin from its porcelain pedestal and brings it down hard on the back of Superman's head, momentarily knocking him unconscious. Batman carries Superman to a staircase balcony and drops him over the edge, leaving him to plummet a dozen stories to the floor below, flat on his back, prompting him to wake up in pain. After grappling to the floor, Batman binds Superman's feet with a cable, then slams a button on his grapnel gun, pulling Superman towards him. He uses the momentum to swing Superman around, smashing him through a ring of concrete pillars. The badly downed and and defeated Superman is then placed on his back and taunted by Batman, who claims that Superman was not only never a God, but never even a man, before cutting the latter's cheek with his Kryptonite spear and raising it for the killing blow. The Dark Knight's Epiphany and Redemption Aware of his impending death, Superman implores Batman to save "Martha." Batman is confused and shocked by this (as "Martha" was the name of his own late mother), pauses his killing blow and yells at Superman, demanding to know why the latter had uttered that name. At that moment, Lois finally arrives by helicopter, knowing where Superman was and explains to Batman that it is the name of Superman's adoptive mother. Batman then realizes his own hypocrisy; that he has allowed Lex Luthor to twist his anger from the Black Zero Event and turn him into the very monster he swore to fight. Hence, Batman hurls the spear away in disgust, horrified at what he had almost become, and he is now prepared to help Superman, whom he now better understands, while also redeeming himself in his own eyes in the process. The two then converse, and Superman reveals Luthor's plan, meaning that his mother is losing time every second. A repentant Batman, now finally seeing Superman for the selfless person that he is (instead of an inhuman alien threat, since when threatened, Superman had pleaded to save his mother, rather than his own life), tells him that they should work together to stop Luthor, the true enemy that had been deviously manipulating both of them this whole time. After some persuasion from Batman, Superman resolves to confront Luthor, while Batman promises him that he will save Martha. Facing Luthor Having partially recovered from the Kryptonite gas and exposure, Superman flies to the Fortress of Solitude and smashes through the starship's hull to face Lex Luthor, letting the latter know that Martha is safe, Batman is now an ally, and that Lex had lost. However, the malevolent supergenius, was unfazed by the news of his failed plan, claims not to know how to lose and is quick to finally reveal his far more grandiose and extreme contingency plan; a massive hybrid Kryptonian monster grown from General Zod's corpse and Lex's blood (in an ancient Kryptonian ritual, long forbidden by the Law Council), Superman's "Doomsday." Lex gleefully added that now Superman was "as good as dead." Fighting Doomsday Doomsday then proceeds to swiftly break out of the ship's birthing matrix, loudly roars, and hurls a monstrous punch at Lex, but Superman intervenes and catches his massive fist before punching him back into the network of cables. Doomsday catches Superman in his giant hands and leaps out of the Fortress of Solitude and pummels Superman, sending him hurtling into Heroes Park. As Superman struggles to his feet, Doomsday lands nearby. He eyes the face of his enemy in the giant Superman Statue, then looks down at the smaller real-life version standing below. Doomsday's strength and durability surpass that of Superman, momentarily stunning the Man of Steel and sending him flying into a building. Doomsday is then shot at by military helicopters, but his body tanks it all, adapting and only becoming stronger, generating a huge electrical-thermal shockwave. Doomsday soon moves on to terrorise civilians on the gate bridge crossing between Metropolis and Gotham City. In desperation, Superman hears the panic and tackles Doomsday away, momentarily taking the beast out of the fight. Before Superman could continue to fight, he spots an injured family in a damaged car and saves them. The mother tells Superman that her son is missing but she soon sees him in the distance, trying to retrieve the iPad he was playing on. However, the gate bridge suffered too much damage and part of the upper structure began to fall. The large debris was about to crush the boy but Superman blocks it with his body, saving the boy and personally handing back the iPad. The boy starts to run off but turns around to give Superman a hug. Doomsday is made it to the city and starts terrorising more innocent civilians and massively destroying buildings. Superman quickly tackles Doomsday and takes him into space. The U.S. President is watching the news footage and intends to shoot the alien monster down with the most powerful nuke in their arsenal and the order is carried out, despite the protests of Calvin Swanwick. Superman defiantly holds Doomsday in place as he sees the hyperonic nuclear missile approach, determined to have the monster destroyed. As soon as it hits the both of them, the resulting explosion is so gigantic that Batman, The Daily Planet and all civilians can clearly see it from Earth's surface. Doomsday's body lands on the abandoned Stryker's Island, but he is far from dead, as the megaton nuclear explosion seems to have only made the monster stronger and more powerful, with its body once again evolving, growing spikes and bony protrusions and generating another electrical shockwave, considerably larger and stronger than the first. In the meantime, Superman is shown to also have survived the devastating explosion, but is floating in space being completely incapacitated and extremely weakened by the nuclear missile blast. Soon, however, he is exposed to radiation from earth's yellow sun, which reinvigorates Superman's cells, fully healing him and returning to full power. He then proceeds to fly back towards the Earth's surface and joins in the battle against Doomsday by flying towards the monster, sending Doomsday flying into multiple gas tanks, generating a massive explosion. The Trinity Unites Superman and a recently arrived Wonder Woman then proceed to jointly attack Doomsday in tandem, while Batman tries to expose the monster to Kryptonite, which would exploit its only known vulnerability. Wonder Woman soon manages to cut off the monster's right arm with her magical Sword of Athena, but that only results in a large sharp bony protrusion growing back in its place. In the meantime, Lois is in Gotham City, trying to retrieve the Kryptonite spear from underwater but more debris falls in and prevents her resurfacing. Superman is able to hear her drowning and flies off to rescue her, retrieving the spear in the process while Wonder Woman manages to temporarily restrain Doomsday with her indestructible lasso. Superman sees that the only way to stop Doomsday will end up putting his life at risk, since brute force alone had been proven ineffective. Hence, he says a tender goodbye to Lois, before taking hold of the spear and flying back to the battle scene, exposed to the substance himself in the process, though he manages to temporarily overcome the Kryptonite's weakening and superpower negation effects with a tremendous amount of willpower and determination. The Death of Superman A weakened Superman returns back to the battle and stabs Doomsday with the Kryptonite spear, causing more electrical energy than ever before to pour out of Doomsday, making Wonder Woman momentarily lose her footing. This allowed Doomsday to slip out of the Lasso of Hestia binding him, and plunge his bony arm protrusion into Superman's chest, penetrating his skin and body. However, Superman is undeterred by his impending death and defiantly fights against the incredible pain, plunging the spear deeper into Doomsday's chest with his last ounce of strength, as well as letting the monster's bony protrusion sink deeper into his own chest, thereby allowing the spear to pierce Doomsday's body completely. The two give one final joint bellow of agony, before their lifeless bodies hit the ground. Superman's unexpectedly human sacrifice visibly shell-shocks and saddens Batman (as it again proved Batman's image of Superman wrong), and he promptly retrieves Superman's lifeless body, enveloping him in his own cape, and giving the body to Wonder Woman (who was astounded to have finally, after 100 years, met a person who had both the phenomenal godly might of Ares, and the self-sacrificing morality of Steve Trevor, and was equally saddened at his death), who gently places it on the ground, seconds before the arrival of a devastated Lois Lane. Lois proceeds to cradle and weep over her fallen beloved as Batman and Wonder Woman stand next to her in respectful lamenting silence (recalling having been in Lois' position when witnessing Steve Trevor die). Batman is guilt-ridden about being so devastatingly wrong about Superman and wasting two Kryptonite gas grenades on him, while they might have instead been used to kill Doomsday without having to lose Superman. Dawn of Justice In order to posthumously cover up Superman's secret identity, Lois reports that Clark Kent has also died during the heroes' devastating battle with Doomsday, having chosen to carry out his duties as a reporter and cover it and ultimately getting caught in the crossfire. Perry White prints a special edition of the Daily Planet paper in honor of Superman and his efforts (still thankful to the superhero for saving him during the Black Zero Event), headlining it "Superman Dead: Night of Terror, Morning of Loss." Superman is honorably buried in Heroes Park in Metropolis, in a grandiose military ceremony (that is attended by Secretary of Defense Swanwick, Emil Hamilton and Carrie Farris), with Superman's black coffin (with a silver House of El glyph) being wrapped in the US flag. Afterwards, Swanwick is presented the folded American flag. So many devastated people attend the citywide funeral, that all of the usually crowded and busy streets of Metropolis are empty. Later, numerous visibly saddened, remorseful and repentant people of Metropolis come with candles to Superman's resting place, to pay their respects to Earth's greatest hero, who had selflessly died saving the world from its greatest threat, a hero that so many of them had failed to properly accept during his life. Hence, while Superman's monument is still broken (in the aftermath of the great battle with Doomsday), his tomb (also decorated with the Kryptonian glyph) reads: "If you seek his monument, look around you", emphasizing how Superman's heroic sacrifice guaranteed that the entire world and humanity are still around, first saved from General Zod's terraformation apocalypse and then from Doomsday's unstoppable bloodthirsty rampage of apocalyptic proportions. However, the coffin in Metropolis is actually empty, as the funeral of Clark Kent is held in Smallville (being anonymously paid for by Bruce Wayne), with Father Leone presiding over it and delivering a eulogy (containing the biblical resurrection prophecy from Isaiah 26:19). Although a small gathering, the notable attendees besides Martha were Chris Kent, Lois Lane, Pete Ross, Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan as well as Bruce Wayne (the funeral was being paid anonymously by him) and Diana Prince. An afternoon function is held at Martha's home. Lois is in Clark's bedroom when Martha enters (after having placed a photo of Jonathan in Clark's coffin). She gives Lois a letter, revealing to her that Clark had intended to propose to her. Still, at the cemetery, Bruce expresses his guilt and remorse over his crimes against Superman, and by extension, the world. He and Diana share a conversation about bringing the other metahumans together, in order to fill the void left after Superman's death, and protect Earth in case a threat of that scale ever should arise, honoring Superman's heroic sacrifice. Diana questions the necessity and inquires why Bruce is proposing it. He replies that it is simply due to a feeling he has that things will imminently get worse (in reality, he was following the instructions given to him by the Future Flash, who appeared in one of his "dreams," as well as heeding Lex Luthor's enigmatic warning). After Lois scatters a handful of dirt on top of Clark's coffin, Chris follows after and does the same. Superman's coffin is then shown, with the handful of dirt scattered on it by Lois beginning to rise into the air, implying that Superman might still, in fact, be alive. Meta-human Emergence (Post BvS) Even after his death, Superman still continues to have a profound impact on the world — his alien heritage and usage of his powers for selfless heroism make Superman a beacon of hope and inspiration for metahumans like the Flash, inducing them to also more openly use their powers and come out into the light, with the Flash notably apprehending Captain Boomerang as a result. Humans were also significantly impacted, with a vendor on the street exemplifying their deep posthumous respect for Superman. Chris Kent was affected by this too, now knowing that he is indeed the last Kryptonian but is doubtful that he could ever become what Superman was. Still, Chris uses his powers to help and save others albeit anonymously due to his speed and not wanting his identity to be seen. However, ARGUS Director Amanda Waller has a much more negative view on Superman after his death, since while she posthumously respects Superman himself for his benevolence and selfless heroism, she recognizes that there could very well be other godlike beings out there, coupled with far less friendly intentions, which leads to Waller advocating for the creation of Task Force X, which could be forced to battle against such formidable threats as a contingency, whereas a normal non-disposable human army would be powerless. When Waller first meets up with Admiral Olsen and Dexter Tolliver, Olsen reprimands her for looking cheerful in light of Superman's recent death, since he considers him "a national hero." Waller's fears ultimately prove to be valid, as a pair of incredibly powerful, but far less benevolent metahumans: Enchantress and her brother Incubus would also be inspired by Superman to come out into the light, attempting to use their vast mystical powers to conquer Earth and subjugate its inhabitants to their will. Thus, the Suicide Squad's implementation became necessary. Rebirth (Justice League) In around January 2017 and shortly after the formation of the Justice League, and their failed battle against Steppenwolf, Batman comes to the conclusion that they needed Superman if they truly wished to save the Earth. Flash and Cyborg were sent to retrieve Superman's body in Smallville and bring him to the Kryptonian ship in Metropolis. There, Cyborg guided the Flash on using his connection to the Speed Force to jumpstart the Mother Box and power the Genesis Chamber in order to revive Superman. They succeed and Superman's chest wound is fully healed as he reawakens and burst out of the ship before stumbling before the shattered statue at Heroes Park. Disoriented, Clark paced around the fragments of the statue, trying to gather his thoughts. Powers * Kryptonian Physiology: As a Kryptonian, Superman possesses abilities his father Jor-El deemed god-like compared to humans. On a planet near a red star, Superman would have physical attributes nearly identical to those of humans. However, Kryptonians have much denser bones, tissue and muscles due to being adapted to Krypton’s harsh environment and higher gravity. Even under a red star, he would be still considerably stronger than humans. But while on a planet near a star that is younger or brighter than Krypton's, he is granted many new abilities and powers that surpass the capabilities of humans and metahumans alike, making him the Justice League's most powerful member, appear godlike to most beings (indeed rivaling an Old God in power) and possibly one of the most powerful beings in the universe. ** Solar Energy Absorption: Superman’s cells store the solar energy he’s exposed to, allowing him to retain his powers under roofed structures or even at night, although he eventually needs to recharge after a while or when using his powers extensively, like during the Showdown in Gotham Port. The interior of his body stores sunlight emitted from the Earth's yellow sun, and seems to operate akin to a battery. However, due to being on Earth for years and having adapted to Earth's environment, Superman exceeds any Kryptonian that has immediate exposure in terms of both raw power and skill in the application of said powers. Direct exposure can allow him to recover and heal almost instantly from most damage, including those inflicted by Kryptonite, giving him powerful regenerative capabilities. His father Jor-El stated that he'd grown more powerful than he'd previously imagined, and the only way to know just how powerful was to keep testing his limits. Bruce Wayne has even stated that Superman is capable of single-handedly wiping out the entire human race should he choose to, likening him as being stronger than a planet, and Amanda Waller spearheaded the creation of Task Force X in order to have a team capable of combating an opponent of Superman's power. He has single-handedly overpowered the combined might of the Justice League and Steppenwolf, an ancient New God, with relative ease. In outer space this ability is amplified greatly. The closer he gets to the sun, the more powerful he becomes. ** Category:DC Characters Category:Heroes Category:Minor Characters Category:Males Category:Kryptonians Category:Power Users Category:Orphans Category:Adopted Category:Aliens